We have enough to follow God

Revelation 10:1-4

10 And I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire. 2 He held a little scroll open in his hand. Setting his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, 3 he gave a great shout, like a lion roaring. And when he shouted, the seven thunders sounded. 4 And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, ‘Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.

After the death of one-third of human beings, a mighty angel appeared. Standing across the world – land and sea – and the angel shouted or roared. The shout was answered by seven thunders. We say to ourselves another seven – seven seals, seven angels with trumpets, now seven thunders. But as John starts to write down what he heard he is told to stop writing, and he does not record what he heard.

Two things to notice. First, there is a gap in the narrative, there are thigs we are not told. Therefore, any attempt to building a timeline, a schedule, a map – will have a gap in it. There is information we do not have, and we do not know how much information we do not have. All of this invites us to humbly recognize that as human beings we do not know the end, we cannot know fully how the end will unfold. That is for God to know and to enact.

Second, what we have is enough. Through the ages the church has proclaimed that the Bible, the Word of God, was sufficient, that is, it had everything that we need to be the people of God in this time – in any time. The things we are not told are not necessary for us to know in order to be followers of Jesus Christ. We have what we need, and in that we can rejoice and be satisfied. We have enough to be the people of God. We have enough to live in this moment as God’s people. Thanks be to God.    

PRAYER:

O Lord, we wish we knew more, but we trust you that we have enough. Thank you that your Word is sufficient for us. Thank you that we have all that we need to be your people in this time, that we have all that we need to follow you, the Triune God of grace. In Jesus’ name. Amen.